[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 94 (Wednesday, May 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27852-27863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-10688]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant
Applications (SGA) for Mentoring, Educational, and Employment
Strategies To Improve Academic, Social, and Career Pathway Outcomes
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor.
Announcement Type: Notice of Solicitation for Grant Applications.
Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/DFA PY 07-09.
Catalog Federal Assistance Number: 17.261.
SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration announces the
availability of $49.5 million for grants to serve high schools that
have been designated as persistently dangerous by State Educational
Agencies for the 2007-2008 school year under section 9532 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The goal of these grants is to
reduce violence within these schools through a combination of
mentoring, educational, employment, case management, and violence
prevention strategies. These grants will be awarded through a
competitive process open both to school districts which include
persistently dangerous high schools and to community-based
organizations (CBOs) in partnership with these school districts. High
schools which have been designated as persistently dangerous this
school year are located in the school districts of Baltimore City, New
York City, Berkshire Farms (New York), Salem-Keiser (Oregon),
Philadelphia, and Puerto Rico. These schools are listed in Section
VIIIA below. School districts and CBOs must submit a separate
application for each high school that they propose serving, but may
submit as many applications as they have eligible schools. Applications
submitted by school districts must include plans to have one or more
CBOs as sub-grantees/contractors to operate at a minimum the mentoring
component. These proposed CBO sub-grantees/contractors do not need to
be listed in the application, as the Department strongly encourages the
use of competition in selecting sub-grantees and contractors either
before or after grant award. Applications submitted by CBOs must have a
school district identified as a partner, with a signed memorandum of
understanding with the school district included in the application. To
be eligible to apply for these grants as a CBO, organizations must be
not-for-profit entities and can operate either nationally or locally.
This solicitation provides background information and describes the
application submission requirements, outlines the process that eligible
entities must use to apply for funds covered by this solicitation, and
outlines the evaluation criteria used as a basis for selecting the
grantees.
Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this
announcement is June 11, 2008. Application and submission information
is explained in detail in Part IV of this SGA.
ADDRESSES: Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in
this notice will not be considered. No exceptions to the submission
requirements set forth in this notice will be granted. For detailed
guidance, please refer to Section IV.C.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This solicitation consists of eight parts:
Part I provides a description of this funding opportunity.
Part II describes the size and nature of the anticipated awards.
Part III describes eligibility information.
Part IV provides information on the application and submission
process.
Part V describes the criteria against which applications will be
reviewed and explains the proposal review process.
Part VI provides award administration information.
Part VII contains DOL agency contact information.
Part VIII lists additional resources of interest to applicants and
other information.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
The Employment and Training Administration announces the
availability of $49.5 million for grants to serve high schools that
have been designated as persistently dangerous by State Educational
Agencies for the 2007-2008 school year under section 9532 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The goal of these grants is to
reduce violence within these schools through a combination of
mentoring, educational, employment, case management, and violence
prevention strategies.
The high schools that have identified this year as persistently
dangerous have the following characteristics:
These high schools are quite large--many of them have
enrollments of over 1,200, and a couple have enrollments of over 2,000.
In particular, these high schools tend to have very large
numbers of ninth graders. Many have over 600 ninth graders, and some
have over 700 ninth graders.
The high schools lose great numbers of students between
the 9th and 12th grades. Almost all of the schools lose over half of
their 9th graders before they reach the 12th grade, and many lose over
60 percent of their 9th graders before they reach the 12th grade.
These schools serve a predominantly poor population, with
many of the schools having 70 percent or more of their students
eligible for a free or reduced lunch.
[[Page 27853]]
Several of the schools are located in census tracts with a
poverty rate of 20 percent or more.
The persistently dangerous special education schools that
are ungraded but that serve primarily students ages 14 and above also
have between 52 percent and 68 percent of their students eligible for a
free lunch.
These statistics suggest that the problems of violence, crime, low
educational achievement, poverty, and joblessness that characterize
persistently dangerous schools and the neighborhoods they serve are all
interrelated. These various problems can be overwhelming to both
individual students and schools, making it very difficult to create a
school climate that is safe and in which academic success is the norm.
Research by the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns
Hopkins University suggests that a fundamental problem of troubled high
schools is that they have large numbers of incoming ninth graders not
prepared academically for high school.\1\ A study by the Consortium on
Chicago School Research indicates that ninth graders who fail courses
are a diverse group, with some who fail almost all of their courses and
need sustained interventions, while others fail only one or two courses
and could be helped by the school moving towards Ninth Grade
Academies.\2\ Finally, the Turnaround Challenge report by Mass Insight
notes that schools in poor communities need to ``proactively address
the challenges accompanying their students as they walk in the school
house door: from something as basic as finding an impoverished child
socks or a coat, to assisting where possible with transportation or
health services, and attacking the significant cognitive, social,
cultural, and psychological barriers to learning that many children of
poverty tend to experience.'' \3\
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\1\ Robert Balfanz and Nettie Legters, ``The Graduation Rate
Crisis We Know and What Can Be Done About It'', Education Week, July
12, 2006, available at http://web.jhu.edu/CSOS/graduation-gap/edweek/Crisis_Commentary.pdf.
\2\ Melissa Roderick, Closing the Aspirations-Attainment Gap:
Implications for High School Reform, MDRC, April 2006, available at
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/427/full.pdf.
\3\ The Turnarund Challenge, Mass Insight Educational Research
Institute, 2007, available at http://www.massinsight.org/resourcefiles/TheTurnaroundChallenge_2007.pdf.
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The Department of Labor's intent is to provide sufficient funding
through these grants to allow schools to reconfigure in ways that both
significantly expand the level of services provided to students and
enhance coordination of these services within the school and with the
community. Consistent with the research described above, the Department
expects that each grant will include three levels of interventions--(1)
reforms that affect the whole school; (2) interventions aimed at
particular target groups of at-risk youth, such as entering ninth
graders and repeating ninth graders; and (3) intensive interventions
for individual youth who present the greatest challenges relating to
misconduct, truancy, and poor school performance. All three levels of
interventions should be aimed at improving student attendance,
behavior, effort, and course performance. Because persistently
dangerous schools tend to have so many ninth graders, the Department
sees that an emphasis of these grants will be improving services to
entering and repeating ninth graders.
The required components for each grant are listed below. In
discussing the components we provide various examples of program
models, but applicants are free to include in their proposed design
program models other than those provided here. To design and carry out
these components, each grant must be led by a Turnaround Team that
includes the school principal, the principal's immediate supervisor in
the school district, and the CBO sub-grantees. The Turnaround Team can
also include outside educational and youth development experts and
representatives of other partners such as the juvenile justice system,
police and school security, foundations, parents, the private sector,
and the local Workforce Investment Board. The Turnaround Team is
responsible for guiding both the planning and the implementation of the
initiative and is to continue this role throughout the term of the
grant.
The Department expects that in carrying out the various components
listed below, grantees will foster connections with neighborhood
leaders and institutions which serve youth as part of their missions,
such as churches with youth programs, Settlement Houses, Boys and Girls
Clubs, Girls Inc., YMCAs, and YWCAs. Representatives from such
institutions serving the same neighborhood as the school should be
included in the Turnaround Team. Ideally, churches and social service
organizations in the neighborhoods served by the school could join
together to form a community-wide net to serve at-risk youth and to
prevent youth violence, as was done in Boston's 10 Point Coalition. See
the description of this effort at http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=212652).
1. Mentoring. Each grant must include a mentoring
component that integrates the other violence prevention, educational,
employment, and case management components provided through the grant.
The Department requires that a CBO experienced in providing social
services in schools with large numbers of high-risk students or in
operating mentoring programs will have the lead in this component of
the program. This does not need to be the same CBO that is operating
the case management component described below. Mentoring can be
provided through volunteers recruited through a variety of ways, and
may include one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring, and service-based
mentoring. The Department does not expect that every student in the
school will have a volunteer mentor, but that a sufficient proportion
of students have a mentor to make a difference in the school
environment. Points to consider in designing this portion of the
project include:
Proposed mentoring projects should seek to address each of
three types of mentoring strategies: Personal development mentoring
educates and supports youth during times of personal or social stress
and provides guidance for decision making; educational or academic
mentoring helps a student improve their overall academic achievement;
and career mentoring helps the youth develop the necessary skills to
enter or continue on a career path.
The proposed mentoring strategies should include a period
of mentoring and follow-up that is no less than 18 months in duration.
While starting a volunteer mentoring component may sound
easy, it is actually quite difficult to implement. Volunteers need to
be recruited, screened, cleared through background checks, trained,
correctly matched with youth, and provided ongoing guidance.
Conducting thorough background checks will be necessary
before assigning a mentor to a youth. Established mentoring
organizations such as the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program and the
National Mentoring Partnership may be helpful in sharing the procedures
and data sets that are currently available for conducting background
checks. Contact information for local Big Brother/Big Sister Programs
can be obtained at http://www.bbbs.org.
Information on starting mentorship programs is available
at the MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership Web site at http://www.mentoring.org/, including their guide Elements of Effective
Practice at http://www.mentoring.org/downloads/mentoring_411.pdf and
their tool kit
[[Page 27854]]
How To Build a Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of
Effective Practice at http://www.mentoring.org/downloads/mentoring_413.pdf.
Faith and community-based organizations may be a good
source for recruiting volunteer mentors for youth. For example, the
Safer Foundation in Chicago has developed over the years partnerships
with faith-based organizations to provide mentors for returning
prisoners. See their Web site at http://www.saferfoundation.org/viewpage.asp?id=349.
Service-centered mentoring allows adults and youth to get
to know each other while working together on community service
projects. These can be both small individual projects and large group
projects. For larger service-centered mentoring projects, local
AmeriCorps and City Year programs may be able to set up such projects
with AmeriCorps and City Year volunteers serving as mentors for
students.
Local corporations may also be a source for recruiting
mentors for students. Programs can be set up in which corporation
employees spend part of their work day at the school.
Information on mentoring youth with disabilities can be
found at the Partners for Youth with Disabilities Web site at http://www.pyd.org/national-center/council-goals.htm.
Applicants may also be able to learn lessons from the
Amachi mentoring program, which has been developed by Public/Private
Ventures to provide mentors for the children of prisoners. The
program's infrastructure and expertise are provided by Big Brothers/Big
Sisters of America, which oversees the screening, matching, and
training of mentors, and provides mechanisms for monitoring and
supporting the mentors. For more information on this program, see
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/167_publication.pdf.
2. Educational Strategies. This component can include
school restructuring efforts and alternative learning strategies aimed
at getting at the underlying causes of violence, high dropout rates,
and low student achievement in the schools. School districts can choose
from the options below or propose other strategies that are well
thought-out and for which reasonable evidence exists to support their
inclusion. There will be sufficient funds in each grant to allow
implementing several educational strategies similar to those presented
here:
Breaking large schools into houses or career academies.
Especially if used for upper level grades in conjunction with the Ninth
Grade Academy and Twilight School options discussed below, breaking a
large school into career academies can greatly decrease the chances
that a student gets lost in the crowd.
Ninth Grade Academies. Such an academy separates ninth
graders into a section of their own in the school building, with their
own assistant principal, teachers, and counselors.
Twilight Schools. Twilight Schools operate as a school-
within-a school in the building with a schedule that runs from early
afternoon to early evening. Students feel part of both the Twilight
School and the larger school. The Department sees Twilight Schools
started under these grants as being targeted during the first year on
repeating ninth graders who earned few if any credits the previous
year. Research indicates that repeating the ninth grade strongly
predicts dropping out of school and that repeating ninth graders need
intensive interventions or they will simply fail the ninth grade again.
Twilight Schools started under these grants could then be expanded in
subsequent years to include both a new set of repeating ninth graders
and students who choose to stay in the Twilight School rather than
moving back to the regular school. Like Ninth Grade Academies, Twilight
Schools started under this grant would have their own section of the
building, and their own assistant principal, teachers, and counselors.
Credit Retrieval. A reason that many youth drop out of
school is that they become hopelessly behind in credits. Credit
retrieval or recovery classes allow students to make up courses that
they failed using educational software under the direction of a teacher
instead of repeating entire semesters of work. Credit retrieval can be
useful to a range of students--helping older youth who are far behind
in credits, keeping younger youth from falling too far behind their age
cohort in credits, and helping older students who need only a few more
credits to graduate.
Block Scheduling. Block scheduling allows students to take
four courses for 75 minutes a day each semester instead of seven
courses for 50 minutes each. This allows students to focus more on a
smaller set of courses, and for teachers to work with a much smaller
set of students each semester. Block scheduling gives teachers a chance
to work collaboratively in serving each student, and provides
additional time for joint planning by teachers.
Double and Triple Doses of Reading and Math. Key
predictors of a student dropping out of school are failing ninth grade
English or Algebra and having high truancy in the ninth grade.
Providing entering and repeating ninth graders with double or triple
doses of reading and math during the day can address these causes of
youth eventually dropping out of school.
Reduced Class Sizes in Algebra and Selected Other Courses.
Reducing class sizes across the high school from say 27 to 22 may have
a minimal impact on student performance, but strategically reducing
class sizes in difficult subjects such as Algebra from 27 students to
10 could result in a significant increase in performance.
Summer Transition Programs for Entering Ninth Graders.
These programs would include identifying and contacting in June the
eighth graders who will be attending the high school in the fall, and
then providing them with a summer transition program or summer camp to
prepare them for high school. These summer programs could focus on
anti-violent behavior, peer mediation, study skills, and reading and
math remediation.
Vouchers for outside tutoring and supportive services.
Such vouchers would allow parents and students to choose among various
local organizations to receive tutoring and supportive services aimed
at helping the student succeed in school.
The Department expects that these various educational interventions
will be accompanied by extensive staff development efforts, which will
include professional development time devoted to the teacher's academic
content area, training on instructional methods, training on teachers
collaborating across subject areas, and having teams of expert teachers
work on an ongoing basis observing teachers and providing them guidance
for improvement.
Many of the educational interventions described here combined make
up the Talent Development High School Model designed by the Center for
Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University, and
applicants may select to replicate this entire model. It is described
in more detail at the Center's Web site at http://web.jhu.edu/CSOS/tdhs/index.html. The educational interventions described here are also
consistent with the principles developed by Theodore Sizer in the
Coalition for Essential Schools model, and applicants may select
replicating that model. It is described in more detail at the Coalition
for Essential School Web site at http://www.essentialschools.org/. The
educational interventions described here are also consistent with the
middle
[[Page 27855]]
school reforms recommended by the Carnegie Corporation in their Turning
Points report, http://www.carnegie.org/sub/research/index.html#adol.
Applicants may also wish to consider in designing their projects the
work of the Consortium on Chicago Public School Research and the
Turnaround Challenge report by Mass Insight referenced earlier in this
grant announcement.
3. Employment Strategies. The employment component should
emphasize internships for juniors and seniors in high-growth
occupations and industries. These internships can occur during
afternoons on school days or during the summer. Points to consider in
designing this component include:
To the extent that the school is broken down into career-
focused academies, this employment component should be tied to the
themes of these academies. See MDRC's research on Career Academies at
http://www.mdrc.org/project_29_1.html.
These internships should be carefully designed so that
students are doing useful work to earn their wages as opposed to job
shadowing or sitting idly at their desks.
Developing these internships will require linkages to
major corporations in the city, including possibly corporations willing
to adopt the school both to provide internships to the students and to
have their employees serve as mentors to the students.
Implementing this component will also require developing a
partnership with the local workforce system to provide access both to
the corporations represented on the Workforce Investment Board and the
service providers funded by the local workforce system.
The employment component can also include efforts to
expose students to careers and to coordinate with industry-based youth
organizations. See the Web sites of Skills USA (http://www.skillsusa.org/) and Health Occupations Students of America (http://www.hosa.org/natorg.html).
The employment component should also include efforts to
expand the career awareness of students and to make them aware of the
educational requirements of various careers.
Some grant funds may be used for wages for these after-
school and summer internships. Summer internship efforts should be
coordinated where appropriate with summer jobs programs operated by the
local Workforce Investment Board.
In designing the employment component, grantees will need
to do a scan of existing DOL-funded initiatives in the community,
including the WIA formula youth program, WIRED, Beneficiary Choice
projects, community-based job training projects, youth offender
projects, and high-growth job training grants, to determine potential
linkages.
4. Efforts to Improve the School Environment and Student
Behavior. This component can include conflict resolution classes, anti-
bullying efforts, student courts, peer mediation, anger management
classes, crisis intervention strategies, increased involvement of
parents, and training teachers in effective classroom management. This
component should include both school-wide activities and efforts
targeted towards the students who are causing the most discipline
problems at the school. Resources for developing this component of the
program include:
Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide was produced by
the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice of the American
Institutes for Research and the National Association of School
Psychologists under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of
Education. This guide presents a comprehensive plan for preventing
school violence. It is available at http://cecp.air.org/guide/aifr5_01.pdf.
The Resolving Conflict Creatively Program is a nationally
recognized violence prevention program developed by Educators for
Social Responsibility (ESR), a non-profit organization that offers
comprehensive programming, staff development, and consultation to
schools. ESR has also developed a Partners in Learning Program
specifically for high schools that covers failing students, classroom
discipline, school-wide discipline, positive peer culture, peer
mediation, and countering bullying. More information is available at
http://www.esrnational.org/index.php?location=high_school&l=hs.
5. Case Management. This component will provide a team of
full-time advocates for youth stationed at the school serving as case
managers. The Department sees these case managers or advocates as
assisting school counselors in addressing the behavioral, truancy, and
academic problems of youth, and in linking students to available social
services. The Department also sees these case managers or advocates
getting to know the parents of youth and making home visits to the
youth. The Department expects that a CBO experienced in providing
social services in schools with large numbers of at-risk youth will
have the lead in operating this component of the program. This can be
the same CBO that will be operating the mentoring component or it can
be a different CBO. Consistent with the mentoring component, the
Department does not expect that every student in the school will be
assigned to a case manager or advocate, but that a sufficient
proportion of students will be served through this component to make a
difference in the school climate.
There are many models of in-school case management programs which
grantees can use or build upon in developing their own program. Such
models include:
The Communities in Schools model emphasizes bringing to
schools the social service and health resources available from the
community. Site coordinators within schools identify the social service
needs of individual students and find the appropriate community
resources to address those needs, whether it be eyeglasses, tutoring,
food, or a safe place to be. See http://www.cisnet.org/.
The Quantum Opportunity Program (QOP), developed by OIC of
America, focuses on advocates staying with the same small group of
entering ninth graders throughout the students' four or sometimes five
years of high school. Each QOP advocate is assigned to roughly 20
entering ninth graders. QOP also includes academic remediation, life
skills, and community service components. The QOP model has been
evaluated through a random assignment study. The program did not
produce impacts overall across the seven sites studied, but did have
positive impacts in selected sites and with youth who were under age 14
at enrollment. See http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/pdfs/QOPfinalimpacts.pdf.
The Jobs for America's Graduates' Multi-Year Dropout
Prevention Program has career specialists within schools working with
groups of 35 to 45 students to keep the youth on track to graduation.
The program starts working with youth in the ninth grade and continues
through graduation and one-year of follow-up after graduation. See
http://www.jag.org/model.htm.
The Violence-Free Zone model developed by the Center for
Neighborhood Enterprise uses mature young adults who are from the same
neighborhoods as the students in the schools that they serve. The Youth
Advisors serve as hall monitors, mentors, counselors, and role models
for youth. See http://www.cneonline.org/pages/Violence-Free_Zone The Futures Program in Baltimore operated by the Mayor's
Office of Employment Development provides advocates in schools to offer
tutoring, incentives, cultural enrichment, and
[[Page 27856]]
work experience to youth. See http://www.oedworks.com/youthserv/index.htm.
The Partnership for Results program in the Auburn, New
York school district uses counselors to conduct home visits and provide
links to various social services to families of students with severe
behavioral and truancy problems. See http://www.partnershipforresults.org/.
The College Bound Foundation model emphasizes assisting
students to go on to college. The Foundation places College Access
Program Specialists in Baltimore City's public high schools to help
students and their parents learn about opportunities to attend college,
and to make sure students take academic courses to prepare for college,
take the PSAT and SAT tests on time, apply for college admission on
time, and apply for available student aid. See http://www.collegeboundfoundation.org/.
II. Award Information
A. Award Amount
Grants to serve high schools with enrollments of 1,000 students or
more will amount to $3,167,575 a year for each of two years. Grants to
serve high schools with enrollments of less than 1,000 students,
including ungraded special education schools that primarily serve
students ages 14 and above, will amount to $1,781,761 a year for each
of two years. The Department expects to award five grants to larger
high schools and five grants to smaller high schools. Applicants should
request in their proposals the entire $6,335,151 covering two years of
operation for the larger high schools and the entire $3,563,523
covering two years of operation for the smaller schools. These grants
will be funded incrementally, with roughly 40 percent of the funds
being provided in June of 2008 and the balance being provided in
October 2008. Each grant may receive additional years of funding
depending on the availability of such funds and satisfactory
performance.
B. Period of Performance
Grants will be awarded for an initial 38 month period of
performance, which may be later extended with grant officer approval.
This period of performance includes a planning period of up to 14
months leading up to the start of the school year in September 2009,
and an operations period of two years. Applicants should budget for two
years of direct service delivery for each major component. Grantees do
not need to use the entire 14-month planning period and can stagger the
implementation of their major components. For example, grantees have
the option of opening a 9th Grade Academy this fall and then
implementing the other major components the following fall. In this
case, grantees would still budget the 9th Grade Academy for two years
of operation and the remaining components for two years of operation.
All program components need to be started by the beginning of the 2009
school year. If grantees start all of their components early, they will
complete their two years of operation early before the end of the 38-
month period of performance. Grantees must provide separate budgets for
planning and operations, and indicate the anticipated length of their
planning period. Grantees should be judicious in their use of planning
funds and careful to use them specifically for planning components
associated with this grant.
III. Eligibility Information and Other Grant Specifications
A. Eligible Applicants
Either school districts or CBOs can apply for these grants.
Applications can only be submitted for projects to serve high schools
that have been identified by the State Department of Education for the
2007-2008 school year as persistently dangerous under section 9532 of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This includes ungraded
special education schools that primarily serve students ages 14 and
above. High schools that have been identified as persistently dangerous
this year are located in the school districts of Baltimore City, New
York City, Berkshire Farms (New York), Salem-Keiser (Oregon),
Philadelphia, and Puerto Rico. These high schools and their most
recently available enrollment level are listed in Section VIIIA below.
Schools that had been identified as persistently dangerous this school
year, but that have had this designation removed because of successful
appeals are not eligible for award. School districts may apply for
persistently dangerous schools that are the subject of ongoing appeals
regarding their persistently dangerous status, but the application
should note that such an appeal is in process and the appeal process
will need to be resolved prior to award.
School districts applying will need to have one or more CBOs as
sub-grantees/contractors to operate at a minimum the mentorship
component. These proposed CBO sub-grantees/contractors do not need to
be listed in the application, as the Department strongly encourages the
use of competition in selecting sub-grantees and contractors either
before or after grant award. CBOs applying will need to have the school
district as a partner, with a memorandum of understanding signed by the
school district included in the application. To be eligible to apply
for these grants as a CBO, organizations must be not-for-profit
entities and can operate either nationally or locally. Separate
applications must be submitted for each high school to be served, but
school districts and CBOs may submit as many applications as they have
eligible schools.
Because the Department intends that activities started with these
grants will be sustained over time, school districts and CBOs must
include in each application a statement by the school district that
there are no plans currently in place to close the school that is the
focus of the proposal.
Note: DOL/ETA's acceptance of a proposal and award of Federal
funds to sponsor any program do not provide a waiver of any grant
requirements and/or procedures. OMB Circulars require that an
entity's procurement procedures must ensure that all procurement
transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide open
and free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to
provide services, the DOL/ETA's award does not provide the
justification or basis to sole source the procurement, i.e., avoid
competition, unless the activity is regarded as the primary work of
an official partner to the application.
B. Cost Sharing or Matching
There are no cost-sharing or matching requirements for these
grants.
C. Other Eligibility Requirements
All students enrolled in the target high school are eligible for
services under this grant, including youth who are no longer attending
but still listed as enrolled.
D. Legal Rules Pertaining to Inherently Religious Activities by
Organizations That Receive Federal Financial Assistance
Direct Federal grants, sub-award funds, or contracts under this
program shall not be used to support inherently religious activities
such as religious instruction, worship, or proselytization. Therefore,
organizations must take steps to separate, in time or location, their
inherently religious activities from the services funded under this
program. Neutral, secular criteria that neither favor nor disfavor
religion must be employed in the selection of grant and sub-grant
recipients. In addition, under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and
DOL regulations implementing the Workforce Investment Act, a recipient
[[Page 27857]]
may not use direct Federal assistance to train a participant in
religious activities, or employ participants to construct, operate, or
maintain any part of a facility that is used or to be used for
religious instruction or worship. See 29 CFR 37.6(f). Under WIA, ``no
individual shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits
of, subjected to discrimination under, or denied employment in the
administration of or in connection with, any such program or activity
because of race, color, religion, sex (except as otherwise permitted
under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972), national origin,
age, disability, or political affiliation or belief.'' Regulations
pertaining to the Equal Treatment for Faith-Based Organizations, which
includes the prohibition against Federal funding of inherently
religious activities, can be found at See 29 CFR Part 2, Subpart D.
Provision relating to the use of indirect support (such as vouchers)
are at 29 CFR 2.33(c) and 20 CFR 667.266.
A faith-based organization receiving federal funds retains its
independence from Federal, State, and local governments, and may
continue to carry out its mission, including the definition, practice,
and expression of its religious beliefs. For example, a faith-based
organization may use space in its facilities to provide secular
programs or services funded with Federal funds without removing
religious art, icons, scriptures, or other religious symbols. In
addition, a faith-based organization that receives Federal funds
retains its authority over its internal governance, and it may retain
religious terms in its organization's name, select its board members on
a religious basis, and include religious references in its
organization's mission statements and other governing documents in
accordance with all program requirements, statutes, and other
applicable requirements governing the conduct of HHS funded activities.
Faith-based and community organizations may reference the
``Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering
with the Federal Government'' at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/guidance/index.html.
IV. Application and Submission Information
A. Address To Request Application Package
This SGA contains all of the information and links to forms needed
to apply for grant funding.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
The proposal will consist of two separate and distinct parts--a
cost proposal and a technical proposal. Applications that fail to
adhere to the instructions in this section will be considered non-
responsive and will not be considered.
Part I. The Cost Proposal. The Cost Proposal must include the
following three items:
The Standard Form (SF) 424, ``Application for Federal
Assistance'' (available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf424.pdf). The SF 424 must clearly identify the applicant and be
signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement.
Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF 424 on
behalf of the applicant shall be considered the representative of the
applicant.
All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities
are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number. See Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Notice of Final Policy Issuance, 68 FR
38402 (June 27, 2003). Applicants must supply their DUNS number on the
SF 424. The DUNS number is a nine-digit identification number that
uniquely identifies business entities. Obtaining a DUNS number is easy
and there is no charge. To obtain a DUNS number, access this Web site:
http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-5711.
The SF 424A Budget Information Form (available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf424a.pdf). In preparing the Budget
Information Form, the applicant must provide a detailed backup budget
for both the planning and operations aspects of the project, with a
narrative explanation in support of the request. The budget narrative
should break down the budget and leveraged resources by project
activity, should discuss cost-per-participant, and should discuss
precisely how the administrative costs support the project goals.
Administrative costs do not need to be identified separately from
program costs on the SF 424A Budget Information Form.
Please note that applicants who fail to provide a SF 424, SF 424A
and/or a budget narrative will be removed from consideration prior to
the technical review process. If the proposal calls for integrating WIA
or other Federal funds or includes other leveraged resources, these
funds should not be listed on the SF 424 or SF 424A Budget Information
Form, but should be described in the budget narrative and in Part II of
the proposal. The amount of Federal funding requested for the entire
period of performance should be shown on the SF 424 and SF 424A Budget
Information Form. Applicants are also encouraged, but not required, to
submit OMB Survey N. 1890-0014: Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity
for Applicants, which can be found at http://www.doleta.gov/sga/forms.cfm.
Part II. The Technical Proposal. The Technical Proposal will
demonstrate the applicant's capability to plan and implement a project
in accordance with the provisions of this solicitation. The guidelines
for the content of the Technical Proposal are provided in Part V
Section A of this SGA. The Technical Proposal is limited to twenty (20)
double-spaced single-sided pages with 12 point text font and one-inch
margins. Any pages submitted in excess of this 20 page limit will not
be reviewed. In addition, the applicant must provide a one-page
abstract of their proposal and a letter from the school superintendent
committing to not displace state and local funds going to the high
school with these grant funds and stating that there are no plans
currently in place to close the high school. Also, CBOs applying for
these grants must include evidence of not-for-profit status. These
additional materials do not count against the 20-page limit for the
Technical Proposal.
Applicants submitting proposals in hard-copy must submit an
original signed application (including the SF-424) and one (1) ``copy-
ready'' version free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in
the reproduction of the proposal by DOL. Applicants submitting
proposals in hard-copy are also requested, though not required, to
provide an electronic copy of the proposal on CD-ROM.
C. Submission Date, Times, and Addresses
The closing date for receipt of applications under this
announcement is June 11, 2008. Applications must be received at the
address below, or electronically received at the Web site below, no
later than 5 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Saving Time). Applications sent by
e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (fax) will not be accepted.
Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this
notice will not be honored. No exceptions to the mailing and delivery
requirements set forth in this notice will be granted.
Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of
Labor, Employment and Training
[[Page 27858]]
Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention: James W.
Stockton, Reference SGA/DFA PY 07-09, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Room N-4716, Washington, DC 20210. Applicants are advised that mail
delivery in the Washington area may be delayed due to mail
decontamination procedures. Hand-delivered proposals will be received
at the above address. All overnight mail will be considered to be hand-
delivered and must be received at the designated place by the specified
closing date and time.
Applicants may apply online through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). Any application received after the deadline will not
be accepted. It is strongly recommended that that before the applicant
begins to write the proposal, applicants immediately review the
Grants.gov Web site including all frequently asked questions, and
initiate and complete ``Get Started'' registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted. These steps may take multiple days to
complete, and this time should be factored into plans for electronic
application submission in order to avoid facing unexpected delays that
could result in rejection of an application as untimely. If submitted
electronically through http://www.grants.gov, the application must be
submitted as either .doc., .pdf., or .xlx files.
Late Applications: Any application received after the exact date
and time specified for receipt at the office designated in this notice
will not be considered, unless it is received before awards are made,
it was properly addressed, and it was: (a) Sent by U.S. Postal Service
mail, postmarked not later than the fifth calendar day before the date
specified for receipt of applications (e.g., an application required to
be received by the 20th of the month must be postmarked by the 15th of
that month) or (b) was sent by professional overnight delivery service
or properly submitted and accepted by Grants.gov to the addressee not
later than one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of
applications. It is highly recommended that online submissions be
completed one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of
applications to ensure that the applicant still has the option to
submit by overnight delivery service in the event of any electronic
submission problems. Applicants take a significant risk by waiting to
the last day to submit by Grants.gov. ``Post marked'' means a printed,
stamped or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter
machine impression) that is readily identifiable, without further
action, as having been supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by an
employee of the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, applicants should
request the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's
eye'' postmark on both the receipt and the package. Failure to adhere
to the above instructions will be a basis for a determination of non-
responsiveness. Evidence of timely submission by a professional
overnight delivery service must be demonstrated by equally reliable
evidence created by the delivery service provider indicating the time
and place of receipt.
Applications may be withdrawn by written notice or telegram
(including mailgram) received at any time before an award is made.
Applications may be withdrawn in person by the applicant or by an
authorized representative thereof, if the representative's identity is
made known and the representative signs a receipt for the proposal.
D. Intergovernmental Review
This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order (EO)
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
E. Funding Restrictions
All proposal costs must be necessary and reasonable in accordance
with Federal guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made
in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles. Disallowed
costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its
representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the
applicable Federal Cost Principles or other conditions contained in the
grant. Applicants will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award
costs. Funds provided under these grants shall only be used for
activities that are in addition to those that would otherwise be
available in the local area in the absence of such funds. In accepting
funds under this grant as either the grant recipient or sub-recipient,
the school district agrees not to divert funds received through this
grant to other purposes by reducing the annual budget the school would
have received in the absence of the grant. The Department prohibits
paying for security officers, police officers, and clinical
psychologists with funds provided under this grant. Paying for food is
only allowable in circumstances in which it is integral to a training
activity. Grant funds may be used to pay wages to students for after-
school and summer internships as long as students are assigned real
work at these internships, but grant funds cannot be used for paying
stipends to youth. Grantees must submit an implementation plan and
detailed budget for project officer review and approval prior to
starting operations. If grantees are starting some components sooner
than others, they can submit separate plans for the components as they
are ready to start them.
Indirect Costs. As specified in OMB Circulars on Cost Principles,
indirect costs are those that have been incurred for common or joint
objectives and cannot be readily identified with a particular cost
objective. In order to utilize grant funds for indirect costs incurred,
the applicant must obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement with its
Federal Cognizant Agency either before or shortly after the grant
award. The Federal Cognizant Agency is generally determined based on
the preponderance of Federal dollars received by the recipient.
Administrative Costs. An entity that receives a grant to carry out
a project or program may not use more than 10 percent of the amount of
the grant to pay administrative costs associated with the program or
project. Administrative costs could be both direct and indirect costs
and are defined at 20 CFR 667.220. Administrative costs do not need to
be identified separately from program costs on the SF 424A Budget
Information Form. They should be discussed in the budget narrative and
tracked through the grantee's accounting system. To claim any
administrative costs that are also indirect costs, the applicant must
obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement from its Federal Cognizant
Agency as specified above.
V. Application Review Information
A. Evaluation Criteria
This section identifies and describes the criteria that will be
used to evaluate proposals submitted. These criteria and point values
are:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Criterion Points
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Statement of Need........................................... 15
2. Analysis of the problems faced by the school and its 20
students......................................................
3. Project design.............................................. 45
4. The commitment of the applicant and the community to the 20
project and the quality of proposed staff.....................
--------
Total Possible Points...................................... 100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The rated components listed above make up the Technical Proposal
(along with the additional requirements listed in section IV. B).
1. Statement of Need (15 points)
Provide the number of students in the school's ninth grade
class (both
[[Page 27859]]
entering ninth graders and repeating ninth graders) in the fall of 2003
and the number of students who graduated from the school in the spring
of 2007. If the school includes only grades 10 through 12, provide the
number of 10th graders in the fall of 2004 and the number of students
who graduated from the school in the spring of 2007.
Discuss the number and severity of behavioral incidents in
the school during the past two school years.
Discuss the extent of juvenile crime and youth gangs in
the community served by the school. If the school draws students from
the entire city, describe the extent of juvenile crime and youth gangs
in the communities from which most students are drawn. Where possible,
provide data on the level of juvenile crime and youth gang involvement
in the community or communities served.
Ungraded schools serving students with special needs
should discuss the behavioral issues and academic challenges faced by
their students instead of the three discussion points above.
Proposals will be evaluated under this criterion based on:
The percentage of students lost between the ninth grade
class in the fall of 2003 and the graduating class in the spring of
2007, or for schools that include only grades 10 through 12, the
percentage of students lost between the tenth grade class in the fall
2004 and the graduating class in the spring of 2007 (5 points).
The number and severity of behavioral incidents per
student in the school during the past two school years (5 points).
The extent of the juvenile crime and youth gang problem in
the community served by the school (5 points).
Ungraded schools serving students with special needs will
be evaluated based on the severity of the behavioral problems and
academic challenges of the students that they serve, with a maximum
total of 15 points for their answer.
2. Analysis of the Problems Faced by the School and Its Students
(20 points)
If a school district is applying, this section should be prepared
jointly by the school district and the principal and staff of the high
school. If a CBO is applying, it should be prepared jointly by the
school district, principal and staff of the high school, and the CBO.
The section should present a discussion of the problems and challenges
faced by the school and its students, and a discussion of why students
drop out without graduating and of why students become involved in
behavioral incidents at the school or in juvenile crime or youth gangs
outside the school. This section should also provide evidence that the
principal and staff of the school were involved in these discussions.
Proposals will be evaluated under this criterion based on:
The clarity of the discussion of the problems and
challenges faced by the school and its students (10 points).
Evidence that the school principal and staff were active
participants in these discussions. Such evidence could include, for
example, dates of meetings held (10 points).
3. Project Design (45 Points)
We are asking you to describe your project design in two ways in
this section--(1) in a summary form in the matrix below and (2) in a
more detailed way in a narrative. Begin this section by filling out the
matrix below by inserting the new activities to be funded under this
grant that will be directed towards (1) the whole school; (2)
particular target groups of at-risk youth, such as entering ninth
graders and repeating ninth graders; and (3) individual youth who
present the greatest challenges relating to misconduct, truancy, and
poor school performance. Use the matrix to show how new activities will
be introduced at all three of these levels to improve student
attendance, behavior, effort, and course performance.
Here are some examples. (1) If mentors will be provided to
particular target groups of students and to individual students with
the greatest challenges and if the mentors will attempt to improve
student attendance, behavior, motivation, and course performance, then
mentoring should be listed in all of the blocks relating to target
groups and individual youth. (2) If tutoring and credit retrieval will
be made available to all students, then both of these activities should
be listed in the block for initiatives affecting the whole school to
improve student course performance. (3) If conflict resolution skills
will be taught to all students in the school, then it should be listed
as an initiative affecting the whole school aimed at improving student
behavior. (4) If new counselors are to be hired to conduct home visits
to chronically truant students, it should be listed as an initiative
aimed at students with greatest challenges to improve attendance. (5)
If a Twilight School will be started for repeating ninth graders to
improve their attendance, behavior, motivation, and course performance,
it should be listed as an activity in all four blocks for targeted at-
risk groups. There can be one, two, three, or more activities listed in
each block.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Improving student Improving student Improving student
Improving student behavior and effort and course
attendance reducing violence motivation performance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initiatives Affecting Whole School
Initiatives Targeted at Specific At-
Risk Groups (for example, all 9th
graders, repeating 9th graders,
juvenile offenders, and teen
parents)
Intensive Interventions for
Individual Students with Greatest
Challenges
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to completing the matrix, provide a narrative that
describes your strategies in detail that includes the following:
More complete information on each of the strategies
identified in the matrix, including roles and responsibilities for
identified project partners;
Implementation plans to meet the required project
components in Part I of the grant announcement:
1. Turnaround Team: Discuss who will serve on this team, including
community-based and faith-based organizations and groups. Discuss the
roles and responsibilities of the Turnaround Team.
2. Mentoring: Describe how the mentoring component will be carried
out, including how mentors will be recruited, screened, and trained,
the anticipated number of students who will receive mentors, and the
number of
[[Page 27860]]
full-time staff to be hired for this component.
3. Educational Strategies: Discuss the educational strategies that
you will implement with grant funds. Provide details regarding how you
will implement each strategy, including the number of full-time staff
positions that will be dedicated to each new strategy and the expected
number of students to be served each year by each strategy. Describe
the level of staff development that will be provided in implementing
these educational strategies. If vouchers for after-school tutoring or
supportive services are proposed, describe how the vouchers will be
implemented in a way consistent with federal Equal Treatment rules on
indirect support of religious organizations.
4. Employment Strategies: Discuss plans for developing internships
for juniors and seniors during the school year or during the summer.
Discuss ideas for possible places for these internships, and the number
of students expected to be involved in the internships. Describe
potential linkages with other DOL-funded formula and discretionary
youth employment programs that currently exist in the neighborhood
served by the school, and possible links with the local Workforce
Investment Board and local One-Stop Centers.
5. Improving the School Environment and Student Behavior: Discuss
how you will provide students with conflict resolution and anger
management skills, how you will in other ways promote violence
reduction in the school, and the anticipated number of students to be
served by this component.
6. Case Management: Discuss plans for carrying out this component,
including the number of case managers or advocates you expect to hire,
how these case managers or advocates will interact with guidance
counselors and staff, the expected number of students to be served each
year in this component, and the anticipated case load size.
Projected outcomes to be achieved. Indicate for each
component the expected outcomes to be attained. For example, the
expected outcomes of the mentoring component may be reducing truancy by
5 percent, reducing behavioral incidents by 10 percent, and increasing
the percentage of ninth graders promoted to the 10th grade by 10
percent.
Proposals will be evaluated under this criterion based on:
The design for school-wide activities, including its
potential for having a measurable impact on the school, the extent to
which the applicant demonstrates that it has thought through how it
will implement the various school-wide activities, and the extent to
which it has considered possible links with other DOL grants and other
neighborhood programs (15 points).
The design for initiatives aimed at specific target
groups, including its potential for having a measurable impact on the
school and the extent to which the applicant demonstrates that it has
thought through how it will implement the various target group
activities (15 points).
The design for initiatives aimed at students with the
greatest challenges, including its potential for having a measurable
impact on the school and the extent to which the applicant demonstrates
that it has thought through how it will implement the various
activities aimed at students with the greatest challenges (15 points).
4. The Commitment of the Applicant and the Community to the Project
and the Quality of Proposed Staff (20 points)
If the school district is applying, this section should include:
A clear statement indicating the school district's
commitment to this project, including a commitment to making a good
faith effort to sustain initiatives after federal funds cease using
average daily attendance funds and other resources. This statement
should be backed up by a letter of support from the school
superintendent. This letter should acknowledge that ``in accepting
funds under this grant as either the grant recipient or sub-recipient,
the school district agrees not to divert funds received through this
grant to other purposes by reducing the annual budget the school would
have received in the absence of the grant'' and that no plans are
currently in place to close the school.
A description of the experience of key school district
staff that will be involved in the project.
A description of the requirements that will go into the
grant announcement for selecting CBO sub-grantees/contractors. The
Department strongly encourages the competitive selection of sub-
grantees and contractors either before or after grant award.
A discussion of the community's potential commitment to
the project, including a description of organizations that serve the
same neighborhoods as the school that could be potential partners,
including churches with youth programs, Settlement Houses, Boys and
Girls Clubs, Girls Inc, YMCAs, and YWCAs, and how these organizations
could help serve as a community-wide net for at-risk youth.
A discussion of other partners that the school district
hopes to develop in implementing this grant, including the juvenile
justice system, the local police, the workforce investment system,
local foundations, and corporations.
If a CBO is applying, this section should include:
A clear statement indicating the school district's
commitment to this project, including a commitment to making a good
faith effort to sustain initiatives after federal funds cease using
average daily attendance funds and other resources. This statement
should be backed up by a letter of support from the school
superintendent. This letter should acknowledge that ``in accepting
funds under this grant as either the grant recipient or sub-recipient,
the school district agrees not to divert funds received through this
grant to other purposes by reducing the annual budget the school would
have received in the absence of the grant'' and that no plans are
currently in place to close the school.
A description of the experience of key CBO and school
district staff that will be involved in the project, and of how CBO
staff who will serving students will be recruited.
A description of the experience of the CBO either in
providing social services in schools with large numbers of at-risk
students or in operating mentoring or other youth-serving programs.
A description of the requirements that will go into the
grant announcement for selecting other CBOs as sub-grantees/
contractors. The Department strongly encourages the competitive
selection of sub-grantees and contractors either before or after grant
award.
A discussion of the community's potential commitment to
the project, including a description of organizations that serve the
same neighborhoods as the school that could be potential partners, and
how these organizations could help serve as a community-wide net for
at-risk youth.
A discussion of other partners that the CBO and school
district hope to develop in implementing this grant, including the
juvenile justice system, the local police, the workforce investment
system, local foundations, and corporations.
If a school district is applying, proposals will be evaluated under
this criterion based on:
The commitment of the school district to the project, as
demonstrated in the letter of support from the school superintendent
and evidence in the application that staff at the school
[[Page 27861]]
district level will be involved in designing and overseeing the
proposed project (4 points);
The experience of school district staff assigned to the
project, as demonstrated by their involvement in other efforts to
improve and restructure high schools (4 points);
The requirements that will be included in the grant
announcement for selecting CBO sub-grantees (4 points);
The potential commitment of the community to the project,
as demonstrated by the description of organizations that serve the same
neighborhoods as the school that could be potential partners and how
these organizations could help serve as a community-wide net for at-
risk youth (4 points).
Plans for developing partnerships with other agencies and
organizations, as demonstrated by how specific and practical such plans
are (4 points).
If a CBO is applying, proposals will be evaluated under this
criterion based on:
The commitment of the school district to the project, as
demonstrated in the letter of support from the school superintendent
and evidence in the application that staff at the school district level
will be involved in designing and overseeing the proposed project (4
points);
The experience of CBO and school district staff assigned
to the project, as demonstrated by their involvement in other efforts
to improve and restructure high schools (4 points);
The experience of the CBO either in providing social
services in schools with large numbers of at-risk students or in
operating mentoring or other youth-serving programs (4 points).
The potential commitment of the community to the project,
as demonstrated by the description of organizations that serve the same
neighborhoods as the school that could be potential partners and how
these organizations could help serve as a community-wide net for at-
risk youth (4 points);
Plans for developing partnerships with other agencies and
organizations, as demonstrated by how specific and practical such plans
are (4 points).
B. Review and Selection Process
Proposals that are timely and responsive to the requirements of
this SGA will be rated against the criteria listed above by an
independent panel comprised of representatives from DOL. The ranked
scores will serve as the primary basis for selection of applications
for funding, in conjunction with other factors such as geographic
balance; the availability of funds; and which proposals are most
advantageous to the Government. Applications that receive a score of 80
and above will be considered for award. The panel results are advisory
in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer, and the Grant Officer
may consider any information that comes to his/her attention. The
Government may elect to award the grant(s) with or without discussions
with the applicants. Should a grant be awarded without discussions, the
award will be based on the applicant's signature on the SF 424, which
constitutes a binding offer by the applicant (including electronic
signature via E-Authentication on (http://www.grants.gov).
C. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
The anticipated date of announcement and award is June 30, 2008.
Both school districts and CBOs applying for these grants should include
in their technical proposals the name and contact information for
persons who will be available for discussions with the Department in
late June when awards are made.
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
All award notifications will be posted on the ETA homepage (http://www.doleta.gov). The notice of award signed by the Grants Officer will
serve as the authorizing document. Applicants not selected for award
will be notified as soon as possible.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
1. Administrative Program Requirements
All grantees, including faith-based organizations, will be subject
to all applicable Federal laws (including provisions of appropriation
laws), regulations, and the applicable OMB Circulars. The grant(s)
awarded under this SGA must comply with all provisions of this
solicitation and will be subject to the following statutory and
administrative standards and provisions, as applicable to the
particular grantee:
1. 20 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 667.220, administrative
costs;
2. Non-Profit Organizations--OMB Circular A-122 (cost principles)
and 29 CFR part 95 (administrative requirements);
3. Educational Institutions--OMB Circular A-21 (cost principles)
and 29 CFR part 95 (administrative requirements);
4. State, local and Indian Tribal--OMB Circular A-87 (cost
principles) and 29 CFR part 97 (administrative requirements);
5. All entities must comply with 29 CFR parts 93 and 98 and, where
applicable, 29 CFR parts 96 and 99;
6. In accordance with Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of
1995, Public Law 104-65 (2 U.S.C. 1611), non-profit entities
incorporated under Internal Revenue Service Code section 501(c)(4) that
engage in lobbying activities are not eligible to receive Federal funds
and grants;
7. 29 CFR Part 2, subpart D--Equal Treatment in Department of Labor
Programs for Religious Organizations; Protection of Religious Liberty
of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries;
8. 29 CFR Part 30--Equal Employment Opportunity in Registered
Apprenticeship and Training;
9. 29 CFR Part 31--Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs
of the Department of Labor--Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964;
10. 29 CFR Part 32--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in
Programs and Activities Receiving or Benefiting from Federal Financial
Assistance;
11. 29 CFR Part 33--Enforcement of Nondiscrimination on the Basis
of Handicap in Programs or Activities Conducted by the Department of
Labor;
12. 29 CFR Part 35--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in
Program or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the
Department of Labor;
13. 29 CFR Part 36--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in
Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial
Assistance;
14. 29 CFR Part 37--Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and
Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998
(WIA);
15. 29 CFR Part 1926, Safety and Health Regulations for
Construction of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA); and
16. 29 CFR Part 570, Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements
of Interpretation of the Employment Standard Administration's Child
Labor Provisions.
2. Special Program Requirements
Evaluation. DOL will require that grantees participate in an
evaluation of overall performance. To measure the effect of the
project, DOL will arrange for or conduct an independent evaluation of
the outcomes and benefits of the project. The grantee must agree to
[[Page 27862]]
make records on participants, employers and funding available, and to
provide access to program operating personnel and participants, as
specified by the evaluator(s) under the direction of DOL, including
after the expiration date of the grant.
ETA Intellectual Property Rights. Applicants should note that
grantees must agree to provide DOL/ETA a fully paid, nonexclusive and
irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use for Federal
purposes all products developed or for which ownership was purchased
under an award, including but not limited to curricula, training
models, technical assistance products, and any related materials. Such
uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and
distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or
otherwise.
C. Reporting and Accountability
These grants will be subject to performance standards measuring
their progress in meeting the goals of the grants. The problems of
truancy, failing the ninth grade, having low reading and math skills,
dropping out of school, creating behavioral problems in school, and
participating in violence and gangs are all interrelated, and the
performance measures for these grades will reflect each of these.
National goals will be set after grant award in the following areas:
Decreasing the number and seriousness of behavioral
incidents at the school: This will require tracking the number and type
of behavioral incidents at the school each year. This information is
already collected by school districts.
Decreasing the number of students who become involved in
the juvenile justice system: This will require increased coordination
with the city's juvenile justice system. Such increased coordination
also will have positive benefits in serving youth involved in
delinquency, as research shows that such youth currently have very poor
educational outcomes.
Improving the high school's daily attendance rate: This
will involve tracking the high school's daily attendance. High schools
and school districts already collect this information.
Decreasing its rate of students failing the ninth grade:
This will require tracking the number of entering ninth graders who
fail the ninth grade and the number of repeating ninth grade who fail
the ninth grade a second time. High schools and school districts
already collect this information.
Increasing the reading and math scores of its students:
This will involve conducting baseline and follow-up reading and math
tests of students. DOL will accept the results of reading and math
tests already being conducted by high schools that are the focus of
these grants. Given that some special groups of youth such as repeating
ninth graders or entering ninth graders will likely receive more
concentrated reading and math instruction under this grant, it will
make sense from both a programmatic and a performance management
standpoint to provide additional reading and math testing of these
students.
Decreasing the school's dropout rate: This will require
tracking the number of students in the school's ninth grade each year
and the subsequent number of students who graduate four years later.
High schools and school districts already collect such information.
Increasing the proportion of the school's graduating
seniors who are placed in post-secondary education or employment: This
will involve documenting the number of seniors who have either been
accepted into a college or have been placed in employment at the time
of their graduation. High schools already collect such information on
college acceptances of students, and this would add looking at whether
youth who are not going on to college have jobs that they will enter.
The cost-effectiveness of the program: DOL will coordinate
with grantees in setting this measure and in identifying the data
sources necessary for this element.
Quarterly financial reports, quarterly progress reports, and MIS
data will be submitted by the grantee electronically. Grantees must
agree to meet DOL reporting requirements. The grantee is required to
provide the reports and documents listed below:
Quarterly Financial Reports. A Quarterly Financial Status Report is
required until such time as all funds have been expended or the grant
period has expired, whichever is sooner. Quarterly reports are due 45
days after the end of each calendar year quarter. Grantees must use
ETA's On-Line Electronic Reporting System; information and instructions
will be provided to grantees.
Quarterly Progress Reports. The grantee must submit a quarterly
progress report based on a DOL template to its designated Federal
Project Officer within 45 days after the end of each quarter. This
report should provide a detailed account of activities undertaken
during that quarter. The quarterly progress report should be in
narrative form and should include:
1. In-depth information on accomplishments, including project
success stories, upcoming grant activities, and promising approaches
and processes.
2. Progress toward meeting performance outcomes.
3. Challenges being faced by the grantee in implementing the
project.
MIS Reports. Organizations will be required to submit updated MIS
data within 45 days after the end of each quarter based on a DOL
template that reports on enrollment, services provided, placements,
outcomes, and follow-up status.
VII. Agency Contacts
For further information regarding this SGA, please contact B. Jai
Johnson, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance,
at (202) 693-3296 (please note this is not a toll-free number).
Applicants should fax all technical questions to (202) 693-2705 and
must specifically address the fax to the attention of B. Jai Johnson
and should include SGA/DFA PY 06-10, a contact name, fax and phone
number, and e-mail address. This announcement is being made available
on the ETA Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/sga/sga.cfm, at http://www.grants.gov, and in the Federal Register.
VIII. Additional Resources and Other Information
A. High Schools and Ungraded Schools That Serve Primarily Students Ages
14 and Above That Have Been Designated as Persistently Dangerous for
the 2007-2008 School Year
Maryland
Dr. W.E.B. Dubois High School, Baltimore, 684 students.
Liberal Arts Academy--Walbrook Campus, Baltimore, 389
students.
New York
Jamaica High School, New York City, 2,489 students.
Samuel Tilden High School, New York City, 2,295 students.
The American Sign Language and English Dual Language High
School, New York City, 166 students.
Berkshire Junior-Senior High School, Canaan, 185 students.
PS 12, New York City, 246 students ages 14 and above.
PS 752, New York City, 535 students ages 14 and above.
PS 754, New York City, 472 students ages 14 and above.
PS 811, New York City. There are four PS 811 schools in
New York City, depending which one has been designated persistently
dangerous it is eligible if it serves primarily students ages 14 and
above.
[[Page 27863]]
Oregon
McKay High School, Salem, 1,791 students.
Pennsylvania
Frankford High School, Philadelphia, 2,057 students.
Germantown High School, Philadelphia, 1,496 students.
John Bartram High School, Philadelphia, 1,931 students.
Abraham Lincoln High School, Philadelphia, 1,970 students.
Martin Luther King High School, Philadelphia, 1,655
students.
Overbrook High School, Philadelphia, 1,993 students.
Samuel Fels High School, Philadelphia, 1,546 students.
South Philadelphia High School, Philadelphia, 1,469
students.
Thomas Fitzsimons High School, Philadelphia, 613 students.
University City High School, Philadelphia, 1,639 students.
West Philadelphia High School, Philadelphia, 1,217
students.
Puerto Rico
Superior Dra. Trina Padilla de Sanz, Arecibo, 732
students.
Superior Dr. Rafael Lopez Landron, Guayama, 1,094
students.
Superior Benito Cerezo, Aguadilla, 616 students.
Superior Medardo Carazo, Trujillo Alto, 781 students.
Superior Judith Vivas, Utuado, 443 students.
Superior Lorenzo Coballes Gandia, Hatillo, 800 students.
B. Resources for the Applicant
DOL maintains a number of Web-based resources that may be of
assistance to applicants:
Questions and responses submitted to the Grant Officer
regarding the SGA will be posted on the Employment and Training Web
site at http://www.doleta.gov. Questions will be received for one month
after publication.
C. Other Information
OMB Information Collection No. 1205-0458.
Expires September 30, 2009.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are
required to respond to a collection of information unless such
collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden
for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 hours per
response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing
data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing
and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding
the burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of
information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the OMB
Desk Officer for ETA, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235,
Washington, DC 20503. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION
TO THE OMB. SEND IT TO THE SPONSORING AGENCY AS SPECIFIED IN THIS
SOLICITATION.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a
grant. The information collected through this ``Solicitation for Grant
Applications'' will be used by the Department of Labor to ensure that
grants are awarded to the applicant best suited to perform the
functions of the grant. Submission of this information is required in
order for the applicant to be considered for award of this grant.
Unless otherwise specifically noted in this announcement, information
submitted in the respondent's application is not considered to be
confidential.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 8th day of May, 2008.
James W. Stockton,
Grant Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-10688 Filed 5-13-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P